


Spring Wedding

by DawnOfTomorrow



Series: Happiness has many faces...and sometimes none at all [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: A secret admirer, F/M, Or Is It?, an unusual romance, lots of little notes, some men just can't take a hint, some women can't either, stalker!Anbu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-22 22:00:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 14,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16606226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnOfTomorrow/pseuds/DawnOfTomorrow
Summary: Sayumi, a chuunin working at the mission desk seems to have a secret admirer. Either that or a creepy stalker. She thinks it's probably harmless flirting. Iruka thinks she should probably report it all.Notes are exchanged and snacks are left. True love starts with uneaten dango, apparently.





	1. Chapter 1

Sayumi smiled as she stamped the report before her. The jounin that had handed it to her grinned and waved before leaving – no doubt headed home for a bath. The man had stunk. She was rather glad that she didn’t have to deal with missions like that – desk duty was just fine with her.

A hand settled gently on her shoulder and she turned to look at its owner – Umino Iruka. The tan chuunin was smiling down at her, holding a stack of paperwork in his other hand. Nothing unusual there. He settled into the chair next to her and sighed deeply. “Homework?” “I sometimes wonder why I even assign it.”

She chuckled. “Because despite your complaining you love teaching and homework is just part of it?” Iruka gave her a mock-glare as she opened her drawer and pulled out a pen for him. Grumbling quietly, he leaned back in his chair with the homework on his lap.

Focusing back on her own paperwork, she realised she’d almost finished that day’s workload. So long as nobody else came in to bring more, she’d be able to finish early. Checking off an inventory list she’d done earlier that day, she stretched.

“Tough day?” She chuckled at his question. “Not really. Boring actually. I prefer tough.” Iruka nodded at that. She knew he understood – the man took shifts in the mission room too after all. It was how they had met, just about three months ago. Sayumi had been officially made chuunin and consequently applied to work in the Hokage-tower, and several months later, she’d started there and Iruka had been the one to show her the ropes.

They’d struck up an easy friendship – with only a few years of age difference between them, they’d hit it off pretty well. Given that they had similar work ethics and held Konoha’s shinobi to higher standards than some of the other mission room staff had helped as well.

Before long, Iruka had started visiting outside of his shifts, finding it easier to grade his student’s work in company. She didn’t mind. It was fun to have the other chuunin around after all – he talked to himself as he graded, and it was usually pretty hilarious.

Sayumi got lucky – nothing else came across her desk and with her workload complete, she invited Iruka for an early lunch. Also not unusual. Via a silent agreement, they made their way to Ichiraku’s. She knew well that Iruka loved ramen and while she wasn’t obsessed the way he was, she did enjoy it.

They chatted as they ate, mostly about Iruka’s class and their shenanigans. All was perfectly normal – right up until it was time to pay and Teuchi, the owner of the ramen stall, waved her off. “That’s already been paid for.” She blinked in confusion. “By...who?” The older man grinned at her. “Can’t say.”

She frowned before joining Iruka who was waiting outside, having paid for his own already. “You didn’t pay for mine, did you? Old Teuchi said someone paid for my food.” Iruka frowned. “Not me...maybe you have a secret admirer?”

She snorted. “Then wouldn’t it make more sense for them to eat dinner with me?” Iruka chuckled lightly. “Well yes. Any idea who?” She shook her head. “None at all. I don’t think I have any admirers...not like that anyway.”

Iruka grimaced and she chuckled softly. It wasn’t a secret that she was quite...flirty. Not the type to lead people on or sleep around, Sayumi’s innuendos and remarks were always in good fun and she made sure not to offend anyone, nor to make them uncomfortable.

While a few of the shinobi she dealt with had tried to ask her out before, she’d always made it clear she wasn’t looking for romance. Truthfully, she wasn’t – she’d only recently ended an...unpleasant relationship, and she rather enjoyed the freedom of being alone.

Plus, if she was in a relationship, she couldn’t flirt, and she loved that too much to want to give it up so quickly. True to character, she winked at Iruka. “Don’t be jealous, Iruka-senpai.” He just gave a long-suffering sigh and shook his head, a faint blush on his cheeks. She knew he disapproved, being rather shy himself, but he’d never said anything about it. He was far too nice for that.

“I suppose it’s not a real surprise, is it? That someone would be interested in you?” She shrugged as they walked home – they lived relatively close to each other and thus had to walk in the same direction. “I’ve made it pretty clear I’m not looking for love.” He nodded. “I know. Genma was just heartbroken.” She chuckled at the idea of the village’s biggest flirt feeling that way – he was a hundred times worse than her, after all.

“You know I don’t toy with people’s feelings though.” “I do. Seriously though, you’re attractive, outgoing and flirty. Maybe you should wait and see if your admirer does something else?” She nodded, grinning lightly. “Such praise, Iruka-senpai...are you SURE you’re not the one with the crush on me?” His blush deepened a little and he shook his head.

They walked the rest of their shared path in an amicable silence. Sayumi was still thinking about a possible admirer when they parted ways and she went home. More than likely, it had been someone repaying a favour she’d done that had forgotten to mention it to her or Teuchi. She often helped shinobi finish mission reports or pointed out flaws where she could to avoid them getting a scolding further down the line. 

Because of that, fresh cups of tea routinely appeared on her desk, and most shinobi greeted her with a smile when they encountered her in town or in the Hokage-tower. Shrugging off the incident, she unlocked her front door with a sigh. She didn’t quite understand why boring days tired her out as much as really busy ones did, but she always ran herself a nice hot bath after a day like that.

Long brown hair pinned up on her head, she sank into the steaming tub and relaxed. She played with some of the bubbles in the tub as she thought about the rest of her week – it was Wednesday, and while Thursday was her last weekly shift, she knew that the day would be busy. Lots of shinobi would drop off their reports that day in order to avoid having to do so on a Friday when the one in her place was Iruka.

While they expected the same standards from the reports, she was aware that her friend had...a bit of a temper sometimes and between an angry Iruka and a friendly Sayumi, most shinobi seemed to prefer her.

Fridays she spent in the training fields – she wasn’t on active duty but that didn’t mean that she would neglect her training. Saturday was the same while she normally relaxed on Sundays, before going back to the mission on Monday.

Yes, Sayumi rather liked things the way things were.


	2. Chapter 2

Thursday proved to be exactly as busy as expected. More than twice as many shinobi as usual had shown up to drop off their reports, many of them had clearly stopped by the office with their reports before even going home to shower or anything of the sort, all to make sure they wouldn’t miss shift-end.

Stamping the last in a long row of reports leading up to her lunch break, she didn’t hesitate to dash out of the window in order to make sure nobody could waylay her and interfere with her precious lunch-break.

Picking up a bento box at a nearby restaurant, she didn’t hesitate before climbing to the top of Hokage-tower to eat. It was against the rules but she’d never been caught and thus she continued to enjoy the solitude and the view the spot afforded her...at least she had so far.

That day though, she found a small box in the precise spot she normally sat. Looking around herself, she found nobody in the area. After inspecting the plastic container for booby-traps and the like, she carefully lifted the lid to peek inside.

To her surprise, the box contained a stick of dango. Peeling off the lid completely, she found that it had enough space for two sets of three balls, but one of them was gone, only an empty stick there. Strange. Had someone forgotten the rest of their lunch? 

As far as she knew, nobody else ate on the roof of the tower, nor did they know that she did. Frowning, she set the box down. It briefly occurred to her that someone might have left them there for her...but then why would one stick be empty? Shaking her head, she closed the box and ate her own lunch before returning to work, leaving the dango where they had been sitting.

Nobody came for them while she was there. It was all a little strange.


	3. Chapter 3

By the end of her shift, she’d forgotten all about the dango, having returned to her desk to find an actual line in front of her desk – that was unusual, even with the threat of Iruka’s temper hanging over people. Putting on her nicest smile, she started working her way through the ninjas’ reports as they handed them off.

The last one in line was Genma, much to her amusement. He was wearing a rather flirty smile and leaned on her desk with a wink. That could only mean one thing, she knew, and it wasn’t that he wanted to hit on her. 

“How can I help you, Genma-san?” She asked the tokubetsu jounin. His grin widened. “I’ve got something I want you to look at.” Chuckling, she held her hand out. “That so? Give me it then.” “Are you really asking me to give it to you right here, Sayumi-san? How...forward.” Snorting, she exaggerated a wink. “You know how I like it, right? Neat, orderly...and on time.”

Laughing awkwardly, he handed over the scroll he’d been holding behind his back. “How late is this?” He shrugged. “Only a couple days. Any chance you could maybe...backdate it a little?” She pursed her lips. The report itself was fine, and Genma was nice enough...she’d do it, just that once.

“I got this Tuesday. That’s the best I can do.” He nodded. “You’re the best, Sayumi-san!” She sighed. “Yes, yes, that’s what they all say.” Genma barked a laugh as he walked out. Their conversations were usually like that – hearing them had made Iruka blush on several occasions.

Genma had been one of the ones that really had tried to ask her out, but once she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested, they’d settled into this routine quite easily. Changing the date on her stamp, she snuck his report into the bottom of the pile before changing the date back to what it should be.

Humming to herself, she added the most recent reports to her inventory list. She didn’t notice the newest arrival in the room until a gloved hand tapped her desk with a scroll. Flinching, she looked up in surprise. It was a little embarrassing that she hadn’t noticed the man – she was a kunoichi after all.

Smiling she accepted the scroll, opening the report...only to recoil. It was...awful wasn’t even the word for it. Looking up properly at the man before her, she realised why and groaned. Kakashi Hatake – bane of the mission staff. She could clearly make out the broad grin under his mask and suppressed another groan. It had only been her second day when she’d first come across the atrocity that was his reports, and she hadn’t been the same since.

“No.” “No?” “Absolutely not. You know I won’t accept this.” He shrugged. “Mah, you were willing to help out Genma, weren’t you?” She sighed. Of course he’d heard. “Yes, but Genma just needed me to bend the rules a little. Accepting this would probably get me fired.” He waved her off. “Not at all. I’ve handed in reports like that for years.”

Opening a drawer, she blindly reached for a new scroll, holding it out to him. “No. Take this, write it again, and this time properly.” He chuckled as he took the scroll and strolled over to an empty desk near her. She threw the first report into the little bin she kept for just such purposes.

Kakashi’s reports were always junk and she usually asked him to rewrite them. When she’d first seen the man, she’d been a little intimidated...right up until she’d seen his report and had handed him a fresh scroll and told him to rewrite it. She’d been mortified at how she’d instinctively treated the famous jounin, but he’d obeyed easily enough – to her surprise, he always did.

Several other jounin occasionally tried to pull rank or something similar, but not him. He just chuckled, walked off and then sent one of his nin-ken in with a better report. Every once in a while he stayed around to rewrite it in person, which usually meant… “Avoiding your team again?” He chuckled. “Mah, I might be. How perceptive of you, Sayumi-san.” 

She grimaced. “This is the first place Sakura looks for you, you know.” He nodded. “I know it is, but it’s worth it today. We got the Tora mission today.” She snorted – the name Tora was infamous. Considered the worst mission any genin team could receive, it was generally reserved as punishment for a team that misbehaved. Catching the nin-cat was hell, and while she hadn’t had to do it herself, she’d seen what the cat had done to Asuma’s face…

Needless to say, she felt a bit of sympathy for the pale jounin. So, when a few minutes later, a pink-haired kunoichi came to a sliding stop outside her door, twigs and leaves in her hair, Sayumi hid her grin. “Kakashi-sensei! What do you think you’re doing? You’re supposed to HELP us!”

Sayumi cleared her throat. “Sakura-chan, this is the mission room. Please don’t raise your voice.” The girl nodded, blushing in embarrassment. “Sorry about that. It’s just, Kakashi-sensei just disappeared again!” Biting her lip, she looked at the jounin, sliding lower in his seat. “Actually, your sensei is helping me out with some paperwork today. It needs to be looked at by a jounin and he was the only one available. Sorry, Sakura-chan.”

The girl’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Really?” Sayumi nodded. “I’m sorry. But, I’m sure your team can handle whatever your mission is anyway, right?” Unconvinced the girl nodded, glared at her teacher and slunk off.

“Mah, you’re a life-saver! So kind.” She snorted at his tone. “Yes, yes, I know I am. That report almost done?” He chuckled and handed her the scroll. This time it was acceptable – his handwriting was certainly better than usual, plus there were no obvious stains or suspicious liquids on the paper. Good.

Stamping it, she smiled at Kakashi. “Accepted. Thanks for your ‘hard work’ Kakashi-san.” The man grinned and, forming hand signs, disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sayumi shook her head and ticked a box on her paperwork.


	4. Chapter 4

Much to her dismay, Sayumi had to skip training the next day and the day after – the weather was so abysmal, she’d have only gotten sick for trying it. A bit of rain was one thing, but the storm whipping over Konoha had been so strong it had actually uprooted a few trees in the training areas. She enjoyed training but she didn’t have a death wish.

By Sunday, she was feeling a little stir-crazy. Unfortunately, the storm lasted until Sunday afternoon, not leaving her enough time to get rid of her nervous energy. She went to bed early instead, hoping for an easy Monday at least.

To her surprise, her Monday was, in fact, quite pleasant. There was little work to do, the sky she could see through the window by her desk looked especially blue the way it often did after a bad storm, and she had woken up in a good mood.

For lunch, she did what she always did – pick up take-out and climb to the top of Hokage-tower. To her surprise and slight concern, there was once again a little box sitting in her spot. It wasn’t the same one – it looked a little different. After carefully inspecting it, she opened it to find the same thing as last time – one serving of dango, one empty stick.

With a frown, she set the box down and ate her own lunch. The exact thing repeated the next day as well – once again, a new box with one stick of dango waited there. No longer even surprised, she ate her lunch, put the box back and went about her day again.

Wednesday, she almost expected to find the same scene again when she went to her spot for lunch, but to her surprise, things were a little different. There was a box, but upon investigation, it contained fresh fruit. Berries, apples and pears were all chopped up and mixed in the container. Half of them had been eaten though.

That wasn’t the only change, however. Stuck on the inside of the lid was a small note. She’d nearly missed it when she’d looked at the fruit. Surprised, she’d plucked the note out from where it was taped to the lid, expecting maybe some info on who kept leaving food there...but no.

‘Don’t you like dango?’ the note read. She blinked at it. Blinked again. Squinted at it. Investigated the paper for other clues or anything suspicious, but no. It was just a piece of paper, asking if she liked dango. Sayumi was now relatively certain that the other boxes had been left there for her to find – the odds of TWO people having lunch there without her knowing about either were just too slim, especially given the note.

So the person had wanted her to eat the dango? If so, why had one always been missing? In fact, why was one half of the fruit mix gone? She frowned. Sniffing the container and carefully picking up an apple slice, she inspected it closely. It didn’t seem poisoned or otherwise suspicious – unlikely as an enemy attack on a chuunin was in the heart of Konoha anyway.

She carefully nibbled on the apple. It was good. When the world didn’t implode and she didn’t get sick, she reached for a pear next. The fruit was delicious, she had to admit, and she ate them after she finished her own food.

Tucking the note back into the lid, she placed the box back when she was done, smiling slightly. Maybe she really did have an admirer like Iruka had suggested? He stopped by her desk not much later, and she told him what had happened.

After being scolded for eating lunch on the top of the building, Iruka had asked her if anyone had been acting strangely around her lately – the answer was a resounding no. She hadn’t noticed anything. Everything had been perfectly normal.

Iruka had been worried that she might be in danger. Sayumi had been amused by the actions of her ‘admirer’ - not that she had really confirmed that that’s what was happening. Just in case though, she took a pen with her the next day, in case there was another note.

There was indeed. Tucked into a small packet of salted peanuts, she found a small piece of paper reading ‘What snacks do you like?’ She’d grinned. Carefully placing the peanuts down – she definitely didn’t like peanuts – she pulled out her pen and wrote on the back of the little note.

‘I like strawberries.’ She’d written, before tucking the note back in and eating her lunch. If she smiled a little more than usual the rest of the day, nobody had commented on it.


	5. Chapter 5

She was almost disappointed when she’d realised she’d have to wait until Monday for a new snack, and a new note. At the same time though, she’d been relieved when Friday morning rolled around and she could finally, finally train again. Sitting around all week had been driving her mad.

Heading to her usual training spot, she’d been delighted to find it empty. It often was, which was why she liked it so much in the first place. One good workout later, she was happily humming to herself in the shower, well aware her muscles would ache the next morning.

She’d been right. Come Saturday, she was sore. That was hardly a reason to skip training though, so she got right back to it...though, a little less intently than the day before. Partway through the day, she ambled over to a shady tree she often sat under when she took a break...and to her surprise, a bottle of peach-flavoured water had sat there, unopened.

She’d picked it up and examined it, finding a note taped to the back. ‘They didn’t have strawberry.’ She’d chuckled, checked the seal on the bottle and, finding it untouched, had opened the bottle. Sniffing and carefully testing the drink, she had found it to be perfectly normal. She’d regretted not having a pen on her since she’d have liked to respond to the note, but as it was, all she could do was accept the gift.

She resumed her training, smiling all the while. Whoever her secret gift-giver was, he or she was clearly familiar with Sayumi’s routine. That should probably concern her more than it did, but she didn’t feel threatened by what appeared to be simple, thoughtful gestures. Besides, she couldn’t be safer than in the middle of Konoha anyway.

Taking the bottle and the note home with her, Sayumi had tossed the bottle but kept the note, packing it in with her things for Monday. Most of her Sunday she’d spent in anticipation of Monday, in the hopes of finding a new lunch-gift during her break.


	6. Chapter 6

There had been a gift indeed. Sayumi had whistled in appreciation when, upon opening that day’s box, she’d found seven chocolate-dipped strawberries in it. There was – once again – space for more, but she’d actually been more interested in the note taped to the inside of the lid.

‘I’m not surprised.’ it had read, and she’d laughed to herself. After eating her lunch and the delicious strawberries, she’d fished out the note from Saturday as well as something she’d bought along with her bento, and put both things into the empty box. She’d responded to the note, of course.

‘I like peaches too.’ she’d written. She hadn’t been planning on it per se, but when she’d spotted a vendor selling fresh peaches, she’d picked one up. It was only fair, she reasoned – she’d been getting so much food, it was high time she returned the favour. Thus, the box sat with one additional note and one additional peach, while she returned to work.

Iruka stopped by towards the end of her shift, to invite her out to dinner. She’d accepted, of course, smiling all the while. “Did something good happen?” The teacher had asked glancing up from his tests. “I suppose. Remember when I found those dango boxes a while ago?” He nodded, grimacing.

“Well...” “Oh please tell me it’s not still happening?” She shook her head. “Not at all. Actually...well, there’s notes now.” Iruka groaned. “Notes?” She shrugged. “Nothing intrusive or anything. It’s...sweet.” He shook his head. “No, no it’s not. It’s creepy. You shouldn’t encourage it...you haven’t, have you?”

She’d just grinned in response. “Sayumi-san...what have you done?” Holding up her hands in surrender, she laughed. “Nothing, nothing! Just told him that I like strawberries. And peaches.” He sighed and gave her a calculating look. “You’re not going to listen even if I tell you to avoid him, are you?” She shook her head.

“...Fine. Just...please be careful?” She’d promised of course – she wasn’t stupid, and she was more than happy to actually report it, should the person do something odd. Despite his worry though, every instinct she had told her that this person didn’t mean her harm.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, she’d taken her lunch-break a little later than usual – to her delight, the daily box had still waited for her though. Opening it eagerly, she’d found candied peaches inside. The note was a little bigger this time, with more blank space. It was a clear invitation for her to respond – after all, the only thing scribbled on it was ‘Thank you for the peach. It was sweet.’ 

She didn’t know whether the note had meant the fruit or the gesture, but she didn’t mind either way. Grinning broadly, she’d pulled out the pen she now permanently carried in her weapon’s pouch, just in case. ‘As sweet as you for leaving all these though?’

It was a bolder message than the ones the other person had written so far, but she hoped that the response would maybe give her some clues about their identity...however small they might be. The handwriting revealed nothing – it was perfectly average, clearly deliberately so. The person was trying to protect their identity. Though she didn't know why, she was happy to play along...for now.

Almost giddy, she’d put back the box and gone back to work, pouting at the thought of having to wait until the next day to get her response. Asuma had remarked on her pout – the jounin had pointed out that she looked a little like someone stole her favourite pillow. She’d asked him whether that was his attempt to talk his way into her bed as a ‘replacement’ and he’d guffawed with laughter, making her chuckle as well.

Asuma only had eyes for Kurenai – that was obvious to anyone with eyes, after all. They’d both been smiling when he’d left after handing off his report, in perfect order as it was. Kurenai had stopped by not too much later, looking rather befuddled. Apparently, Asuma had asked her if he could be her pillow and then told her to ask Sayumi for an explanation when she’d been understandably confused.

One giggling explanation and hastily handed off report later, Kurenai had dashed off, muttering something about protecting her pillows from childish men. Sayumi hadn’t minded – the whole episode had made her laugh so much she could barely breathe by the end of it. Besides, Kurenai’s reports were always fine anyway, this one was no exception.


	8. Chapter 8

Sayumi’s heart had been beating a little faster when she’d opened Wednesday’s box during her lunch-break. It was bigger than usual, she’d noticed straight away. Opening it, she found that it contained a single slice of cake on a small plate, whipped cream and all. The cake looked like it would be eye-wateringly sweet. 

Picking up the fork tucked in with it and trying a bite confirmed it. It was...too sweet, there was no other word for it. She shuddered and put the fork down – nobody could eat that. Pulling the note from the lid yet again, she was delighted when this time it was much longer than it had been before. In fact, it was more of a short letter, neatly folded to fit into the box.

‘Dear Sayumi,  
the answer to that would be a resounding yes. It’s hardly very sweet to bother you this way, however receptive you seem to it. Not that I’m not glad that you are. I am.   
Yours’

The letter wasn’t signed, not that she had expected it to be. It did, however, tell her several very helpful things. She was certain it was from a man, and he seemed to tentatively be flirting. That was almost a relief – she wasn’t sure what she’d have done otherwise, but this she knew how to handle.

The note revealed that the man was shy and a little awkward – self-deprecating even. And polite, surprisingly so. She’d grinned as she’d pulled out her pen and written her response below his message.

‘Dear stranger,  
what can I say, I have a soft spot for romantic gestures and sweet things. To a degree anyway. Sorry I didn’t eat the cake but it was just TOO sweet.  
Looking forward to your response,  
Sayumi’

She’d only added the last sentence to make sure he didn’t mistake her complaint about the cake as a request to stop. Putting the note back, she’d gone back to work, a little disappointed that that day’s snack had been inedible to her.

Well aware that there was only one more weekly note left, she’d nevertheless also been relieved when Thursday had rolled around – she knew that Iruka was out of town on a mission which meant that for once she wouldn’t be flooded by shinobi trying to avoid his rage. Kotetsu was doing Iruka’s shift instead, and he was usually willing to accept more...low-quality reports than Iruka.

Indeed, Thursday was rather boring. Really, the most interesting thing that had happened was that Kurenai had come by and had tea with her. Apparently, her attempts to defend her pillows from Asuma had been ‘mostly’ successful.

Sayumi had desperately wanted to ask what she meant by mostly but ultimately been too chicken – she really didn’t need too many details, after all. Most of her time had been spent idly thinking about the identity of her gift-giver. She assumed it was someone she knew at least to some degree.

The alternative was creepy, and she was getting a ‘nice’ not a ‘creepy’ vibe after all. It was also a man, she was sure of it. That, unfortunately, left her with dozens of options, even disregarding the ones that were too old, too young or seeing someone. While she’d been hesitant to discount men in relationships at first, she reasoned that someone romantic enough to leave her daily gifts probably wasn’t the type to cheat. A naive thought, perhaps, but she preferred to think of him that way.

She certainly hoped he wasn’t a cheater, anyway. She also knew she needed more information if she wanted any chance of figuring it out. She had quite a lot of fun thinking of ways to get that information. When lunch finally, finally rolled around, she darted straight out the window again, picking up bento for herself and a small pack of cookies for him.

Settling in her usual spot, she’d opened his box before she’d even so much as looked at her food. Inside it, sat...a flower. A flower made of small, chopped up pieces of strawberry. They’d been artfully arranged to resemble a rose and she couldn’t help the bright smile that stole on her face at the sight. 

She felt almost guilty when she plucked out a few of the pieces, ignoring her own lunch entirely. She pulled free the letter taped to the top to read it. 

‘Dear Sayumi,  
would it be too forward of me to assume that your last letter meant that you might...welcome such romantic gestures?  
Yours’

Munching on another strawberry, she penned her reply.

‘Dear stranger,  
I can’t tell you whether it’s forward or not, but it’s certainly true – though I have to wonder why you’re doing all this?  
Thank you, whatever the reason,  
Sayumi’

She’d tucked the letter and her cookies into the box before finishing off the strawberries. She only realised that she’d forgotten all about her actual lunch when she was back in her office. So, she snuck a few bites at a time in between doing her job – thankfully, nobody noticed. 

Already regretting she’d most likely have to wait for several days for another letter, she was more than surprised when she came home to find that she...didn’t. Taped to her front door was a single red rose, no note attached.

She put it in water and set it on her bedside table, frowning. While she’d known that the man knew her routine, she was a little unsettled by the fact that he seemed to have no qualms about visiting her home. A rose was hardly a threat of course, but still.


	9. Chapter 9

Her mysterious admirer fell quiet after the rose. Come Monday, no box waited on the roof. Sayumi would have been lying if she’d said she wasn’t disappointed and even a little hurt. Of course, there could be any number of reasons for his absence – from a mission to an injury, there were plenty of possibilities, after all.

When there was still nothing by Thursday, she’d sighed and decided he’d probably just lost interest or something. It was...a disappointment but it couldn’t be helped. She’d skipped training the next day in favour of moping at home, though she preferred thinking of it as relaxing instead.

Saturday morning, an insistent knock on her front door had woken her. Stumbling to the door half-awake, she’d been a little mad when there was nobody in front of her door – who woke people up at the crack of dawn only to run away?

She’d been about to slam the door again when she’d noticed an unassuming package on her doorstep. Blinking herself awake fully, she’d examined the box for traps, jutsu and the like. Finding nothing but a note taped to the side, she picked it up.

The note had read ‘I’m sorry.’. Carefully setting the package down on her dining table, she’d used a kunai to cut it open. Inside, she found several things – firstly, another letter, and then three more, smaller packages.

Setting the letter aside, she picked up the biggest of the packages. It was wrapped carefully and she unwrapped it just as carefully – a good idea it seemed, as it turned out to be a bottle of sake, carefully sealed so as to not spill its contents. She’d set it down and reached for the next package, this one slightly smaller. It held a little paperweight, filled with a clear liquid and what looked to be several little porcelain fish floating in it.

It was a pretty bauble, she thought, as she set it down next to the sake. The final package was flat and shaped almost like a book, but it was too light to be one. Pulling off the wrapping, she was surprised to find fresh white asparagus in a cardboard box in it. That surprised her – the plant wasn’t native to the land of fire, requiring a far more damp climate to thrive. This particular bunch was far too fresh to have been imported to a market...so her admirer must have brought it from a mission instead.

Frowning at her clock, she decided it would be a waste not to use the asparagus. Digging through her fridge, she found enough ingredients to make a sauce to go with the asparagus. Boiling the stalks after cleaning them, she ambled back to her table to pick up the letter.

‘Dear Sayumi,  
I have no words for how happy I am to hear that. I’m also very sorry for disappearing without explaining – it was a mission, I’m afraid. I hope the gifts I brought with me make up for it. The asparagus was a local delicacy in a town I came across. The paperweight reminded me of your eyes, and the sake...I was hoping I might get you to join me for a drink? Tonight? On your balcony?  
As for why I’m doing this...I found myself rather infatuated with you, and I know that my attentions wouldn’t be...welcomed. So, I chose this way to communicate instead.  
Yours’

She pursed her lips. So the man had been on a mission after all. She had no trouble forgiving him – they were shinobi, after all, missions were a given. It was incredibly nice of him to bring her these things...but he wanted to join her for a drink? Did that mean he wanted to actually meet her? She’d rather gotten the impression he wanted to preserve his anonymity.

His last line indicated that, at least. Moving back to her kitchen, she continued cooking, all the while thinking about what she should do. She had no way of responding this time, no way of saying yes or no to his request to drink with her.

While her first instinct would have been a no, the longer she thought about it, the more she was inclined to say yes after all...in a manner of speaking. When the solution finally occurred to her, it was like a revelation. A bright grin spread across her face while she chewed on the surprisingly delicious asparagus.


	10. Chapter 10

Hurrying through her training routine, she got home much sooner than she normally would, yanking open the doors to her balcony. She put her little table and the two chairs out in the middle of it and carefully arranged everything. Sayumi set out two sake cups and unsealed the bottle he’d given her. She carefully poured the liquid into both glasses before fetching the leftovers from her morning meal. 

She set them and some cutlery on the table as well, in front of the spare chair. Then she carefully closed her balcony doors, plopped down on her own chair and removed her hitai-ate from where she wore it around her thigh. Pulling it over her eyes instead, she made sure she was completely blinded before relaxing, her legs up and resting on the railing of her balcony. She felt her way across the table for her glass and took a sip, ready to wait.

She didn’t have to wait long, not at all. A few minutes later, a tap followed by the scratch of her chair on the floor alerted her to the fact that someone had landed on her balcony and sat down next to her. The presence next to her was muted to the point where she had no hope at all of recognising the man that way. That in and of itself was a bit of a hint – her admirer was a tokubetsu jounin or jounin at least, maybe even Anbu.

She grinned as she carefully moved the hand holding her glass over to him. After a moment, he lightly tapped his glass to hers and she nodded before taking a drink. “Hello there.” She didn’t expect a response and wasn’t surprised when none came. “The food is for you, by the way. If you want it.”

Almost immediately, she heard the telltale noises of cutlery moving over a plate. Other than that, the man was completely silent. It was almost vexing to her. “So, Stranger-san...apparently you’re sure I wouldn’t be...welcoming if I knew your identity?”

The cutlery stilled and for a moment she almost thought that he had disappeared entirely before the smallest sigh alerted her to the fact that he hadn’t moved after all. The cutlery clinked as he set it down and a moment later, warm, long fingers settled on her wrist. His hand was gentle, pulling her hand closer to his. 

Setting down her glass, she let herself be led. He didn’t pull her far, simply placing her hand, palm up, on the table. His fingers gently trailed down her palm for a moment before he lightly tapped it twice. “Is that a yes?” Two taps. She nodded, by now absolutely loving the game they were playing. It was...fun.

“So you don’t think I’d like it...is it because of an age difference?” One tap. “That’s a no?” Two taps. She nodded. “Are you dating someone? Married?” One slightly more forceful tap, followed by him gently rubbing her palm. How sweet. Apparently, he was willing to answer questions...in a manner of speaking.

She shifted a little, picking her glass up with her other hand, sipping some more. “Hm...there’s so many things I’m curious about… I take it we know each other?” Two taps. “And I’m assuming we’re not very close?” One tap. As she’d expected.

She sighed, sipping some more sake. “Do you like the food?” Two taps made her smile. “I’m glad. Though, if you don’t mind, I have a request.” He tapped twice and she laughed softly. “Don’t ever wake me up that early again.”

Several of his fingers shifted over her palm and her wrist, a gentle caress, an apology she assumed. His fingers were long, slender, and as far as she could tell, graceful. She sipped her sake, noticing her glass was almost empty. Setting it down on the table, she chuckled when it was refilled for her – she could tell by the splash of the liquid against the glass.

He refilled his own as well. Sayumi chuckled. A finger traced down her own middle finger...a question, she thought. “Just thinking that you really are quite the attentive date, aren’t you?” He firmly tapped her palm and she hummed. “Not attentive? Or not a date?” He lightly tapped twice at her second question.

Sayumi frowned. “Hm, I’m sorry for assuming. You seemed to have...romantic intentions.” For a moment nothing happened, then she felt something unexpected – lips gently pressed against her relaxed palm. Firmly but gently he kissed her hand for a moment before drawing away.

Hm. “So you like me after all, but this isn’t a date? I’m afraid I don’t understand.” For a few moments, she heard nothing, nothing at all, then a familiar sound filled her ears – a pen was scratching on paper. She chuckled.

“So you’ll explain it in writing? And I’ll read it when you’re gone?” To her surprise, it was the pen that tapped her palm twice. Sayumi grinned and reached for her glass again, listening to him scribble for a few more moments, then he set the pen down.

Fingers returned to her hand, lightly massaging her wrist. “This is so strange.” She chuckled again as his fingers stilled on her hand. For the first time since he’d placed her hand there, she moved it. Gently catching his hand in hers, he froze when she lightly squeezed it.


	11. Chapter 11

Sensing he was a little uncomfortable with it, she let go, returning her hand to its prone position instead. “Do you know Iruka?” She knew the question surprised him, both because it took him a moment to tap twice, and also because the taps were lighter than the ones before.

She was starting to make out a lot of nuances from just his fingers, she realised, a little proud. “He thinks you’re a stalker. I told him about the lunch notes and he was...concerned.” His hand pressed lightly on her pulse, before sliding down to the tips of her fingers. “Hm, I told him you’re not a threat, don’t worry.” 

He tapped twice, his fingers then resting against hers. Though still blinded by her hitai-ate, she turned slightly towards him, as if somehow she could see through the metal and fabric. His hand didn’t give away any reaction.

“Are you going to come see me again?” Two eager taps. She smiled. “I’d like that. Are you going to tell me who you are next time?” One tap. Sayumi frowned a little. “I won’t force you to reveal yourself or anything...but sooner or later, you’ll have to tell me, won’t you?”

To her confusion, he tapped her palm three times this time, before withdrawing. Moments later, a pen was scratching over paper again, slightly more quickly this time. She patiently waited until the sound of the pen stopped and his fingers returned.

“Is there anything you’d like to ask me?” His fingers moved to pull away but she stopped them before they could. “Not necessarily now. But, if you want to ask something...feel free to. I might not answer everything, but I’d like to...talk to you more. If you’d like.”

Two taps. She smiled in the direction of her visitor. “It’s getting chilly, isn’t it?” Two slow taps. “I think I’ll go back inside if you don’t mind?” One gentle tap. She smiled gently, taking her feet down from the balcony railing. Pulling her hand from the table she stood up, stretching her body to relieve the uncomfortable tension that had settled into some of her muscles.

She was sure that he was still there, watching her. A moment later, a glass softly clinked on the table and his chair scratched lightly. She had no doubt he could be completely quiet if he wanted to – no doubt his skills vastly exceeded hers. No, he was making sounds for her convenience, so she’d know where he was.

She smiled, turning to where she now knew him to be. She slowly stretched out her hand, taking a step forwards, searching. His hand met hers and his fingers interlaced with hers. “You’re very considerate. Thank you for that.” His fingers squeezed hers – he really did have nice hands, she thought, reaching out the other one as well. He caught it in his, lacing them together in the same way.

Between the sake, the cool night air and the way her heart had been beating since she’d come outside, she felt her head spin just a little. She stepped forward, he stepped back. She stepped forward again, he stepped back – right against the railing. She grinned – it was her balcony, she knew how much space there was, blindfold or no. She didn’t step closer again, keeping a little distance between them.

Releasing one of his hands, she offered up her palm again. “Are you...taller than me?” His answering taps were slow, cautious – it wasn’t much of a hint as she was much shorter than most men in the village, but that wasn’t why she’d asked. She tried to judge by the angle of his hands how much taller and leaned her head back, looking up just a little.

Softly parting her lips, she bit the lower one. His sharp intake of breath was the first involuntary noise she’d gotten him to make all night and it thrilled her. “Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?” His hand on hers tightened, while the other one tapped her palm, first once, then, after a long pause, a second time. 

She grinned broadly, a little surprised when he let go of her other hand and instead took the one he’d been using to ‘talk’ to her. A moment later, his lips pressed against her palm, more firmly than they had done before. She could feel his shuddering breath against her skin as his lips moved higher, from her palm to her quickening pulse.

He pressed another kiss against her skin, goosebumps travelling up her arm as he did so. A moment later, he pulled back and fingers lightly caressed her cheekbone. She was surprised when she didn’t flinch – she hadn’t expected the touch at all, but when he lightly moved his fingertips across her face, she found she didn’t mind all that much.

Smiling softly, she wasn’t all that confused when he withdrew his fingers a moment later...and another moment later, a quiet whoosh alerted her to the fact that she was alone. She waited a little longer before pulling off her hitai-ate.


	12. Chapter 12

Looking back at her table, she found his plate and glass empty, and a note tucked under the glass. Grinning so widely it actually hurt a little, she grabbed the note, unlocked her balcony door and carried everything back inside. Falling into bed, she rolled onto her stomach and unfolded his note.

The first thing she noticed was that his handwriting was a lot less steady this time. She tried to think if she recognised it from any of her reports, but she couldn’t say that she did – she saw hundreds of different shinobis’ writing after all, and as good as this man was, she had no doubt he could fake his handwriting anyway.

She looked at the first paragraph – it was neat and tidy, and she was relatively sure he’d written it before seeing her. How sweet.

‘Dear Sayumi,

I’m so grateful that you accepted my invitation tonight. To be honest, I hadn’t expected you to – I expected you to toss my gifts out the window, actually. But to be here, it makes me happy. So thank you, thank you for your kindness.

Yours’

It was sweet, like all of his notes had been so far. She read the next paragraph, this one a little more hurried, a little less neat. It was the response to her first question for him.

‘No, this isn’t a date – I wouldn’t just assume that you’d think of it as one. You don’t know who I am, after all, and since I can’t reveal myself to you, I’ll have to be content with being just a presence, a touch in the darkness to you. That’s okay. It’s enough.’

She frowned at the note. She had absolutely no trouble thinking of drinks and sort of dinner on her balcony as a date, however odd being blindfolded had been. She’d have to let him know, she decided. He clearly _wanted_ a date, and she was willing to oblige him...she’d wanted to kiss him after all, not that he’d gone for it. The memory made her smile as she rubbed her wrist, tingling still from his lips and fingers.

Focusing her eyes on the last paragraph, she raised an eyebrow in surprise.

‘No. I can’t tell you who I am. I’m sorry. You’d never accept me, and seeing that rejection in your beautiful eyes would shatter me. But that’s okay. I’m satisfied like this. I’d rather these little stolen moments than nothing at all.’

So he had no intention of revealing his identity? She frowned. That was...odd. She’d assumed eventually he’d tire of their game and want her to know...if not, what was the point of it all? Folding up the note, she rolled over. She hadn’t learned that much new information about him, really – he was taller than her, he was far more skilled a shinobi than she was and he sort of knew her as well as Iruka, which was almost a given since she already knew he was a shinobi that went on missions.

Despite the lack of new info, she’d really enjoyed their time together – more so than she’d expected. She’d been willing to let a complete stranger kiss her...and he’d been too honourable to do it. At least, she assumed that was the reason. His explanation for their not-date certainly suggested that that was the case.

Smiling to herself, she got up to take a shower. She glanced in the mirror on the way. Pale blue eyes framed by strands of her brown hair stared back at her. Her grin was a little predatory. Stepping past the mirror to her shower, she chuckled lowly.

Oh, she had a plan. He wasn’t going to like it. Well, that or he was going to like it very much. Possibly both. He may be determined to stay hidden, and she had promised not to force him to reveal himself – a promise she intended to keep – but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t _make him_ reveal his identity.

After all, she thought, as she stepped under the spray of her shower, she was _one hell_ of a flirt.


	13. Chapter 13

The next note was in an unexpected place – Monday morning, on top of her desk when she first arrived. Tucked neatly into an envelope was a letter. Smiling, she unfolded it as she sat.

‘Dear Sayumi,  
I wanted to tell how much I enjoyed our time together. You’re wonderful...and a tease, testing my restraint like that. I’ll have to keep my guard up...if you’re willing to see me again, that is. I won’t demand it of you. Having to leave like that, with you standing there, that stunning smile on your face was pure torture. I hardly slept all weekend, remembering the feel of your skin under my lips...I wish I wasn’t such a coward, that I could have taken your invitation the way you’d meant it, but I couldn’t take what wasn’t mine to take.  
Faithfully Yours’

It was a little longer than previous letters and she was blushing by the time she was done with it, hastily folding it up and putting it away. Her admirer had never been quite so...bold before. His message was hardly even all that direct, but it certainly was a lot different from previous ones.

Her task of getting him to reveal himself might be easier than she’d thought. Grinning at her clock, she realised she couldn’t wait for her lunch-break. She’d already formed a plan the night before, after all.

When it was finally time, she darted down to the village and bought herself two bento boxes. Settling in her usual spot, she picked up the small box waiting there, grinning. She had a certain...theory about the lunches. Carefully sitting with her face towards a slab of concrete wall rather than her usual view, she placed one of the bento boxes behind herself.

Then, taking a deep breath, she called out to him. “Have lunch with me!” For a long moment nothing at all happened, the rustling of the wind in nearby trees the only sound. Just when she was about to accept that she’d been wrong, that he hadn’t been watching her, she heard a tap behind her, and the bento was picked up.

She grinned. “Sit. Sit with your back to me, I won’t look, I promise.” Another pause, before the rustling of fabric alerted her to the fact that he had, in fact, sat down. Quite close to her too, if the warmth radiating from his back was anything to go by.

Smiling broadly, she shifted back, leaning against him and humming contentedly. He froze, and for a moment she thought he’d run. But, he didn’t. She reached for his box, pulling off the lid, ignoring its contents, looking for the note. It was where it always was and she unfolded it. “What’s your favourite season?” she read out loud and chuckled.

“What an adorable question. Hm, I’d have to say winter. I like snow, and I like that the cold gives you an excuse to...share warmth.” She heard him gasp lightly, felt him shift just a little. Oh yes, this would be easier than she’d thought. “What’s your favourite?” After a long moment, she heard the tap of chopsticks against the plastic of his bento. She grinned. One tap.

“Spring?” Two taps. “Hm, spring is nice. I like watching the first flowers of the year push their way through the last bit of snow… Maybe I’ll have to change my answer.” She chuckled lightly and finally looked inside his little box. It held a cupcake – a chocolate raspberry one by the looks of it.

She hummed. “It looks delicious. Thank you.” A shift behind her indicated he’d nodded. She took a bite from the muffin and moaned in delight – it was delicious. Of course, the moan was just as much for his benefit as it was because of the muffin. From the way he tensed, it seemed to be working. Humming again, she continued eating his snack. After she was done, she stretched lightly.

“Do you have somewhere to be?” One tap of chopsticks against plastic. She grinned. Perfect. “Lend me your hitai-ate for a moment?” He seemed to hesitate before untying it – going by the shift in his muscles, from his head or neck. A moment later, he tossed it into her lap and she looked at it – standard issue. No hints there.

Smiling, she tied it around her eyes. “Okay. Turn around?” He shifted and his warm back retreated. Reaching out blindly, she realised that he was sitting cross-legged, now facing her. Really, everything was going according to plan. She leaned back, adjusting just a little, in order to place her head on his lap. Although he froze, he made no protest.

She relaxed. He was quite comfortable as a pillow. “I want you to know that I don’t have any problem calling that night a date. I enjoyed it. In fact, I’d be happy to repeat it whenever you’d like.” He shifted under her, flexing his legs slightly.

A hand brushed down her arm, trailing off when it reached her elbow. She lifted her hand towards him and he took it in his again. This time though, instead of simply tapping, he began slowly tracing letters on her hand. It wasn’t the most effective method of communication, but it worked.

He’d spelled out ‘You’re cruel.’ on her hand. Sayumi frowned. “How so? What did I do?” His hand gripped hers tightly for a moment, before releasing it again. ‘This.’ he spelled out and she huffed. “This...having lunch? Laying on your lap? How is it cruel?” ‘It hurts.’ She sighed.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I really don’t. But I don’t...understand? Please, won’t you write me another letter to explain?” He tapped her palm twice. She smiled in relief. “Do you want me to get up?” He tapped once and she stayed put – she couldn’t wait for his letter to find out what was going on here.

She couldn’t stay for very long though – her break was almost over. Eventually, she sat up with a sigh, pulled off the hitai-ate and threw it over her shoulder. She sat still for a minute, knowing he’d need far less time than that to leave before she got up and got back to work.


	14. Chapter 14

That letter she had asked for took some time – she didn’t hear from him or meet him again for nearly a week. When his message finally did appear, she was less than pleased by it. Having just gone to bed and fallen asleep on a weeknight the sound of a kunai flying past woke her. She jumped out of bed, heart racing.

Blinking in confusion, she saw that it had embedded itself into her wall, a good foot above the bed. It had clearly been thrown through her open window, and attached to it was a letter. She cursed as she yanked the weapon out, now a thumb-sized hole in her bedroom wall. She yanked the letter off and threw the kunai out the window – not properly aimed, simply hurled out, spinning a few times as it fell.

Then she slammed the window shut and sat down with a huff, looking at the letter. She wasn’t happy that he’d made her wait, and she didn’t like being woken up either. She opened the letter.

‘Dear Sayumi,  
I apologise for the delay. I was recovering from an injury I’m afraid, and couldn’t make it. You asked me what you were doing that was cruel, and I wanted to laugh – do you really not know? I’ve seen how you yank on the chains of the men around you, and though it hurts I can live with it...but rubbing under my nose that which I can’t have? Teasing me with what I know I don’t deserve? That’s cruel.

Please don’t stop.’

He hadn’t signed it at all this time, not even with his usual line. She wished she understood why he was so insistent she’d reject him if she knew his identity. He’d said he was single and there wasn’t too big an age gap...so what in the world could be the problem? Who could he be that was such an issue?

She considered the options, starting with the least likely ones. Might Guy came to mind, but she knew it wasn’t him – the man had hands like shovels, nothing like the slender fingers of her admirer. Then there was Kakashi Hatake – but it couldn’t be him either because he wore gloves and a mask, and her admirer had never worn either, not to mention he was one of the men who didn’t flirt with her anyway.

It was unlikely to be Genma – he’d accepted her rejection long ago, and he would have kissed her, she was sure. There was Iruka – he was her friend, so it was possible he’d think she’d reject him because of that, but she wasn’t sure Iruka had the skills her admirer did. Not to mention, she actually wouldn’t mind him, friend or not. He was cute at least.

There were others...Ebisu came to mind. The jounin creeped her out more than a little, but he had similar hands. Asuma was a no – she’d have felt his beard, not to mention his hands were big too. Hayate was an option – though he wouldn’t have reason to assume she’d reject him, she thought. Their conversations were always pleasant, friendly even.

Raidou, she knew had a complex about his scar, not that it was unusual to be scarred among shinobi. He flirted plenty though she got the impression he wasn’t really all that interested. Aoba was shy but always friendly and while she thought he had a girlfriend, she wasn’t sure of it. She huffed. This was far too complicated.

Ibiki was an option...a creepy option. She rarely if ever saw him, but she rather thought that his hands were too big as well. Also, on top of that, if it WAS him, she thought she actually might have a problem with it. The man made her nervous just by being around. She shook her head in the dark of her bedroom. No, not Ibiki, she thought.

That was it for jounin, really – there were a few tokubetsu and even highly skilled chuunin, but she felt like she’d already discounted most of the men it could be. She groaned in frustration. The only three she’d really mind it being were Guy, Ebisu and Ibiki – there was something off about all three. Given that two of them had the wrong kind of hands, so long as her admirer wasn’t Ebisu, she’d be fine with it.

Deciding that she really needed to stop driving herself mad, she went back to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Her next lunch-break gift was a little different. Instead of food, there was a bouquet of flowers laying in her usual spot, note tucked between the roses. She pulled it out. ‘I’ve made you angry. Please forgive me?’

She’d hopped off the roof and eaten lunch inside that day. When she got home, there was another gift waiting at her door. She carried it inside – it turned out to be a vase. She put her roses into it before stalking into the shower.

When she came back out and walked into her bedroom, she noticed that there was another kunai in her wall – yanking out, she realised that it had landed in the exact same hole. She frowned – her window was only open a fraction, yet his aim had been absolutely perfect. Yanking the note off, she once again chucked the kunai out the window. 

Opening it wider, she yelled out: “No more weapons in my bedroom!” Of course, there was no answer, but she was fine with that. Putting dinner on the stove, she yanked open the letter. ‘Please. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.’

Her eyebrow twitched – they needed to talk. Turning off her stove, she stalked into her bedroom and dug through her closet for an old scarf. Finally finding it, she yanked open the balcony doors and stalked outside, angrily tying the fabric over her eyes. When he didn’t appear on his own, she huffed.

“I know you can see me. Come here.” She didn’t quite yell, but she was loud enough that he’d hear her if he really was around – his latest message certainly suggested that he was. Indeed, not long after, a whoosh alerted her to his presence before her. She crossed her arms, her anger evaporating quite suddenly.

“I’m going to lose my deposit.” She gestured towards her room and felt his fingers tracing over her arm. She smacked his hand away. “No. You’re going to talk to me. Henge yourself, whisper or whatever you want to, but YOU are going to TALK to me.” For a long moment, nothing happened, then hands wrapped around her arms and spun her around.

A moment later, a chin settled on her shoulder, face turned towards her ear. She relaxed a little. “I’m sorry.” It was the faintest whisper in her ear and she knew she’d never be able to match it to his voice, but then she’d expected that. “You owe me an explanation.” He shuddered against her. “Yes. I’m sorry.” “That’s not an explanation.” He stiffened against her. “I’m...sorry if my words offended you. I got carried away.”

She blinked under her scarf, half-turning towards him. “Huh? If your words offended me? What are you talking about? I’m pissed off that you threw a kunai through my window, into my wall WHILE I WAS ASLEEP.” He froze on her shoulder.

Cleared his throat. “That? I thought...” Sayumi snorted, giggles forcing their way out of her throat. Her admirer leaned back with a sigh, breaking their contact. She giggled harder. She knew he was waiting for her to recover herself – probably with a wry smile, she thought to herself. Yes, that would suit him.

Finally catching her breath, she straightened up again. “Fine then. So long as you promise not to put any more holes into my home or any of my things, you’re forgiven.” Hands brushed her shoulders again and his chin settled on her shoulder again. “Promise...” His whisper was a little husky and it made her shiver.

With their little...misunderstanding out of the way, she rather thought she could return to her plan. She shifted closer to him, just enough for him to notice. Well aware that he could see her, she lifted her hand, raising it over her head and towards his, behind her as he still was.

A hand stopped her moments before she would have touched his hair. “Why not?” She whispered, just as huskily as his voice had been. He sighed a little and shifted against her, then he gently settled her hand on his head. Her fingers threaded through his hair. It was soft to the touch, fluffy almost, and sticking up a little.

It was short too, she could tell. Running her nails over his scalp, she thought about how she could turn this into something...more. Then he purred and she froze. The sound had been so...intimate, she actually felt a blush creep to her cheeks. She withdrew her hand and slowly, so slowly, turned around as he pulled back, their cheeks briefly brushing.


	16. Chapter 16

She smiled up at him, or rather where she thought he was. “I enjoyed your message VERY much...but I wish I knew why you’re so convinced you can’t have me.” He sighed, and a moment later, fingers traced the edge of her scarf on her forehead. He shifted closer and whispered again.

“Because you deserve...better.” She shivered lightly. “Why are you so convinced that you aren’t good then?” This time he growled and she rather thought she wanted to hear that sound again, somewhere more...bedroom-like. Mentally shaking herself, she decided to revisit that thought later.

“Sayumi...” He practically breathed her name and she bit her lip, well aware of how he’d left off any honorific. She didn’t mind. “Sayumi, I love you.” She smiled. “I know that.” He chuckled lowly. “I’ve loved you...for years.” She frowned. That was...odd. She’d only become a chuunin very recently, at the decidedly ‘old’ age of 19. She was 21 now and found it hard to believe that anyone would have noticed her as a genin.

“How long?” she asked distractedly, trying to figure out in what capacity she might have come across this man. He chuckled dryly. “You were 16. And...you don’t remember how we met. Don’t bother trying.” She shifted back at that. She didn’t...remember? What was that supposed to mean? She wasn’t aware of any gaps in her memory, she certainly didn’t drink at that age...it made no sense.

Unless, she thought...unless… “Anbu!” She exclaimed, taking another step back. “You’re Anbu. You...took my memories after we met?” No answer came. “And then...you’ve liked me for so long?” This time she did get a response, though not in the way she wanted. She felt herself violently slammed into the wall behind her, her wrists pinned against the wall above her head. 

Her admirer carefully kept their bodies separate though, not touching other than where he held her wrists in an iron grip. She swallowed, forcing herself to relax. “So...you’re an Anbu then? And we met during a mission. Can you...can you tell me about it?” The man growled again, his grip tightening painfully on her wrists.

“No.” He whispered, his face suddenly close to hers again. Sayumi sighed – she wasn’t surprised really- “But I’m going to anyway.” He shifted closer, one of his legs briefly brushing against hers. “You saved my life. Found me in the forest and stopped me from bleeding out.” She nodded. She was good at first-aid – it was her lack of interest rather than talent that had stopped her from becoming a medic-nin.

He loosened his hold on her wrists. “I was content not seeing you again...but then you were there. Old enough. I hadn’t been ready.” She chuckled. “You’re older than me.” She felt him nod, he was that close, but still not touching. It was driving her mad.

“You were there...and then...then you were smiling, flirting with everyone and I wanted to kill them all. Rip their throats out for talking to you.” Sayumi stiffened, tensing at the pure animal rage in his voice. Anbu she told herself. They often came back a little...wrong.

She probably should have been afraid but she wasn’t. She sighed. “Stranger-san...deep breaths, please. The last thing I need on my balcony is an Anbu caught up in a blind rage.” Her voice did something to him, she could tell. His anger faded, his riled up presence...lessened, somehow. His fingers slackened on her wrist even more, enough that she could slip one wrist out of his hold.

He didn’t react when she lowered her hand, and after a moment she realised his eyes had to be closed as well. She reached forward blindly, her hand somehow settling on a warm cheek despite not knowing his exact position. She held still when he froze. She could feel the muscles in his face shift, unnaturally aware of how he opened his eyes even as hers continued to see nothing under the scarf.

“Not trying to throw me off?” His whisper sounded different now, a little rougher, a little deeper. A little more like his real voice, she thought to herself. “No. But, at least now I have something I can call you. Anbu-san is better than calling you stranger, isn’t it?” He nodded, slowly. “Why?” He rasped out, in this new, deep whisper-voice.

“Why what?” “Why...am I still here?” She chuckled, sliding her hand down just a fraction, just enough to be able to touch the corner of his mouth with her thumb. “Because you haven’t left yet. Can I have my hand back?” He released her wrist but gently batted her hand away when she tried to mirror its position on his face.

She dropped her hand to his shoulder instead. He seemed to be of average build. Nothing helpful here. “Thank you, Anbu-san.” When he said nothing, she let the hand on her shoulder draw relaxing circles over his shirt. Not that he relaxed, of course. The man was coiled like a spring.


	17. Chapter 17

She leaned away from the wall, standing normally instead of pressing herself against it. He let her. Now much more aware of where he was, she tilted her head, leaned forward and planted her lips over his. He let her, neither pulling away nor responding. She kissed him harder, nibbling his lower lip even, but he didn’t respond.

She pulled away with a small sigh. “Am I...not hated?” He whispered, this time so quietly that she could barely hear it despite their proximity. “No. I don’t understand this game you’re playing, Anbu-san, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having fun playing it.”

He sighed. “You deserve better.” “What if I don’t want better?” “You would reject me if you knew my identity.” “Doubt it. I’ve already excluded the people that would bother me.” That wasn’t true exactly – there was still the possibility it was Ebisu...but she just didn’t think so at this point.

“Oh?” There was a spark of amusement in his question. “You’re not Might Guy. You’re not Ibiki Morino. You’re not Iruka Umino.” The voice chuckled. “True. Why would Iruka bother you? You...like him.” She chuckled. “You disapprove?” “Of course.” She squeezed his shoulder, laughing lightly. His possessiveness was...endearing, somehow.

“Iruka is a friend. If he’d hidden something like this from me, I’d be worried.” The man nodded. She could feel a slow smile on his face. “I’m certainly not those two either.” She snorted. “No, your hair and build made that pretty obvious.”

The man nodded lightly. “You’ll never be able to guess.” She frowned. “Well, there are only so many jounin of your stature that I know. I’ll find you eventually.” He growled lightly and she shivered, though not in fear. He pressed forwards, putting his head next to her shoulder, his body closer than ever.

“Do you think I’m that...unskilled?” He growled, louder than she’d ever heard him, but still impossible to connect to a real voice. The man was infuriating! Still, he’d given her the perfect opportunity to get him back. Laughing in a low, husky tone, she slipped the hand that had mostly left his face into his hair, tugging him closer even as she arched her body forwards, her other hand lifting her up and pressing herself against him.

She succeeded, pressing them together, a leg hooked behind one of his, keeping them close. “No, Anbu-san...” She made herself shiver against him. “I just think that I am that...skilled.” She lightly mocked his earlier question before thrusting her hips against him once more, for good measure. He moaned into her ear and this time she knew without a doubt that he wasn’t masking his voice – not that the sound would help her either.

Sensing she was about to cross a line, she gently released him, drawing back just enough to give him space. He shivered, both hands still propped against the wall behind her. She waited patiently for him to recover. He did, eventually, with a chuckle. “Anbu-training didn’t cover this.” She laughed, not at all expecting a joke just then.

He was back to whispering, the bastard. She couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear. “So this...game of mine...you like it?” She nodded eagerly. “Yes.” “What’s...the stakes?” He whispered, his breath hot against her ear. She hummed. “A spring wedding?” He drew away a little. “Mah, still with the cruel teasing, I see.”

She frowned briefly, something like almost-recognition settling in her mind...just for a moment, then it passed and she silently cursed. She’d figure it out, she swore, or have him tell. Soon. “You said...you said you didn’t want me to stop. So, can I touch?” He chuckled.

“Not today. Next time. When I’m...calmer.” She nodded, understanding the implications, remembering how close he’d been to violence. Sayumi didn’t particularly fancy death by dismemberment. “Sayumi?” He whispered from just before her and she nodded instinctively. “I love you.”

She smiled brightly, happily, at hearing him say the words again. Being told that by a stranger who had admitted to being part of black ops, who had manipulated her memories and made her forget something important shouldn’t make her as happy as it did...but there was nothing for it, she knew. She was happy.

“Thank you, Anbu-san.” He nodded, pushing away from the wall. He didn’t have to speak – she knew. He had to leave. “Be safe, Anbu-san.” She thought she heard him chuckle softly, and then, without him making a sound, she knew she was alone. Pulling the scarf off she didn’t even care that she’d completely messed up her hair – Sayumi was far too happy to care.


	18. Chapter 18

She continued to be happy as they continued their game. For nearly two weeks, she didn’t see him again, only communicating through notes and gifts. She’d had to admonish him via letter when one of the gifts he’d left her had turned out to be JEWELLERY – she didn’t want him spending that much money on her.

He hadn’t even acknowledged her reply and she hadn’t been sure he’d even read it...except of course that the next day, she’d gotten extremely expensive chocolates and the only note attached was a stick-figure drawing of a head sticking its tongue out.

Curse him. Iruka remarked on her newly good mood – though initially determined to keep quiet, she’d changed her mind soon after, instead telling him what was going on. He’d actually lost his temper at her – the first time it had happened to her in the entire time she’d known him. The timely appearance of one Kakashi Hatake had saved her from the worst of it. 

He’d put down his report and tried to sneak off immediately, but she’d caught him, putting an end to Iruka’s tantrum. His report had been exactly as terrible as expected and he’d slunk off with a spare scroll in order to rewrite it in his own time.

Iruka had just sighed and invited her to dinner – ramen of course. He didn’t like the whole admirer-business, but he respected her choices...sort of. He was a good friend that way. Of course, over the two weeks, she’d also increased her efforts to find her Anbu. She’d made it a point to visit the jounin ready room on occasion – always with a good ‘reason’ of course, at least at first.

Once a few of the jounin had invited her just to stop by, she’d started doing that, always an excuse for why she was around just in case. She’d flirted more than usual, keeping an eye out for reactions from the jounin present. She hadn’t expected any of course – her Anbu was better than that. No, that hadn’t been the point at all.

She achieved her goal precisely 12 days and 1 hour after he’d left her balcony last. She became aware of his presence just in time to move the scarf she’d taken to always wearing in her home from her neck to her eyes, then he lightly landed on the floor of her kitchen, having jumped through the window.

She chuckled. “Oh please, come right on in.” He didn’t respond, just grabbing her wrist and pulling. She followed, grinning, now more sure than ever that it had worked just the way she wanted it to. Sayumi was thrown onto her own bed roughly, and then a hard body settled down on top of her. She grinned, winding her hands into his soft hair. He made no motion to stop her.

Instead, he ground his face down into her neck. She gasped when she realised what he’d done – it wasn’t skin that touched her but porcelain. The bastard was wearing his Anbu mask. She laughed at his ingenuity. “You’re laughing FAR too much.” he whispered into her throat.

She hummed delighted at his presence. “Why wouldn’t I? I’ve just been dragged into bed by a very attractive man after teasing him for almost two weeks.” He growled against her throat, his body pressing harder into hers. “You need to STOP. All that touching, the laughs, the smiles, every morning...it’s maddening.”

Sayumi grinned smugly. Her Anbu noticed the change and leaned back. “Mah, you look far too smug there.” She nodded at him. “Well, Anbu-san, you were kind enough to tell me that I see you in the mission room in the mornings. That means that nin I only see at night are off the list. You also told me you’re there a lot. Two very important clues.”

He groaned, letting himself collapse against her, this time relaxed rather than tense. He placed his head on her shoulder. “Sayumi?” “Hm?” “If I...asked you to stop looking, would you?” She sighed, running her fingers through his hair. “Yes...but if you did, I’d ask you to stop leaving me notes, letters and all that too. It’s not fair otherwise.” He shifted away from her a little. “Mah, what if I preferred that?”

She frowned down at him, sure that he could see her expression anyway. “Why?” He ran his hand up her arm – in the entire time he’d been in bed with her, he hadn’t touched her in an inappropriate way even once...unless laying on top of her counted, and after what she’d been doing to tease him, she didn’t think it did.

“If I leave now, you’d get to remember me like this. Not...the real me.” She shook her head. “This IS the real you. No man could fake being a sap this long.” He leaned up with a scoff. “A sap?” She grinned at his tone – it was hard to sound offended while whispering. He seemed to think so too as he settled back down. “Yes, Anbu-san, a sap. The flowers, the chocolates, the notes...a sap.” He groaned. 

“My reputation would be ruined...” She giggled. “I’m sure. Hey, I want to ask you something. If I was to get it right, guess who you are...would you tell me?” He chuckled. “Only if you approach me...normally. Not if you just rattle off the name of every jounin in Konoha.”

Sayumi nodded. “That’s fair. I guess I’ll just go and proposition every jounin in Konoha instead.” She was a little disappointed when he hardly even twitched. She nudged him with her knee. “I expected more of a reaction to be honest?” He hummed. “Mah? Oh, I was planning a mass grave. You go right ahead.” 

She laughed at him, curling herself against him. He snuggled against her touch, moulding their bodies together. “Anbu-san?” “Hm?” “Would you like to spend the night?” He shivered. “I don’t think that’s wise.” She grinned, winding her hands around his back and neck. “The mask and scarf can say. Unless you’re worried I’ll go feeling up every jounin after all?”

He growled. Since he also stayed the night, she didn’t mind. They slept peacefully, next to each other, the only contact her back to his front as they slept. Come morning, he was gone – she’d smiled at the first rays of sunshine because she hadn’t expected anything different.


	19. Chapter 19

The next month, she made absolutely zero progress. None whatsoever. Sure, she got to know her Anbu better, learned what he liked to eat, what she had to do to make him lose control of his careful whisper voice – there were a lot of things on that list, and so on, but she came no closer to learning who he was. She found out that in the beginning, the half-empty snacks had been because he’d heard her comment that it would be better for them to share a meal than for him to simply pay – she could’ve banged her head against a wall for missing it, it was so obvious...once he’d told her.

Iruka had been enlisted as well, more than happy to help her figure it out, keen to end the man’s anonymity. Nothing. They saw each other a lot now, several times per week and he stayed the night whenever he could. Sayumi might have been considering telling him that she actually...loved him, if only she’d KNOWN WHO HE WAS.

It was infuriating, and she knew he knew it drove her mad. The bastard enjoyed it.

When she finally made progress, it wasn’t in the way she’d expected. She was walking with Iruka, on her way home from Ichiraku’s. Something had startled her to look up – four Anbu were jumping over the rooftops above them, headed towards the walls and away from Konoha.

She’d had no reason to assume her Anbu was among them of course – none at all. So, at the top of her lungs, she’d yelled out to the men. “Come home safe or next time you can do that thing you like to yourself!” Iruka had squawked, just about every person in earshot had turned to look at her...and one of the Anbu had slipped and would have fallen off the roof if another hadn’t caught and steadied him.

Grinning widely, she’d linked her arms with Iruka’s as they’d continued on their path, him still spluttering. She realised then that she hadn’t TECHNICALLY mentioned to him that she’d invited the man into her bed properly weeks and weeks ago... It had been a little awkward, in the complete darkness of her bedroom with the curtains drawn, her hitaie-ate in place. He'd wanted to keep his mask too but she'd rejected the idea flat out - she'd wanted to kiss him, after all.

It had been wonderful. If the man was half as talented a shinobi as he was a lover - and an Anbu would have to be - the man probably had the power to level entire villages with a single attack. One temper tantrum by Iruka later, the man seemed to have made his peace with the latest news...sort of, anyway. Sayumi was still grinning like an idiot, waiting for the return of her Anbu.

Unfortunately for him, she’d gained an incredible advantage now – she knew he was out of Konoha. The next morning she practically sprinted to the jounin ready room, curious to see who wasn’t there. When she figured it out, she nearly passed out from shock.

There was only one person who fit all the things she knew for certain – his build, his skill, his absence. A few other things didn’t match up – Kakashi’s hair stood up and certainly didn’t look soft, but then she’d never seen her Anbu’s hair and it was a similar length. 

Sayumi was on cloud 7. She knew. Finally. After months and months...a few moments later, hot anger flooded her. What in the world was he on about when he’d been going on about how she wouldn’t want him once she discovered his identity? Porn aside, he was one of the most sought-after bachelors in Konoha after all. What woman wouldn't want him?

She didn’t know a lot about him – didn’t even know his face. She sank into her chair with a groan when she realised that even though she knew his IDENTITY, she still had absolutely no bloody idea what the man looked like. Looking down at her paperwork, she’d laughed – that was so utterly bizarre and also like her Anbu, she thought it was brilliant.

It took him two weeks to get back – two weeks with no Kakashi in the Hokage-tower. Off training his genins, had people said. As if. Still, nothing could break her good mood, especially not on the day she finally strolled back into the ready room only to find that he was finally, finally back...and with him Asuma, Yamato and Kurenai. Kurenai had been on an actual mission with her genin and Asuma had been in the hospital, meaning that Yamato was another one likely to be in the Anbu-unit she'd seen. She couldn’t help the dumb smile that spread on her face at the sight of him there though...her Anbu.

She was just getting ready to confront the man that was lazily reading his book when Asuma’s hand clamped down on her shoulder. “So I heard a funny story this morning.” She tilted her head. “Imagine my surprise when I heard that the untouchable Sayumi-san has a lover? And an Anbu no less?” She grinned. “You only just heard? Goodness, this has been going on for months, Asuma-san!”

He snorted and shook his head. “And when were you going to tell us? Break all the jounins' hearts?” She glanced around the room – most eyes were actually on her. Good. Kakashi would hate what she was about to do, and that made it all the better. “Actually I came here to do just that.”

“Oh?” Asuma released her, watching with interest as she stepped back once, twice, seemingly to be able to speak to the entire room at once. She got as far as clearing her throat when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a warm, firm, and oh-so-familiar body.

Looking up at Kakashi, she found him looking unimpressed, bored even. Genma dropped his Senbon. Asuma dropped his cigarette. “Mah, what are you all looking at? Just so you know, it’ll be a spring wedding and NONE OF YOU are invited.” With those words, he formed the seals for his transportation jutsu and moved them, straight to a place she’d never been before but immediately recognised as his flat.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t have time to clean.” She looked around his flat. It was messy. There were dogs everywhere. Sayumi burst into laughter, doubling over to the point were Kakashi grew so concerned he offered to get her a medic.

She’d waved him off, stood upright with some difficulty and had finally, finally, finally pulled down his mask to see his face.

It really was a spring wedding, two years later. Asuma and cohorts weren’t invited. It was only right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sequel to this one (the next story in the series) is set directly after he transports them both to his home. I very kind reviewer told me that the ending was a little flat, so I gave them a 'proper' ending...featuring a cameo by Pakkun being the little shit that he is. ;-)


End file.
